--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The stewardess was flummoxed for only a…" description: "\"“The stewardess was flummoxed for only a moment. “Well, that metaphor is prohibited on today’s flight,” she said. Gus nodded and rejoined the cigarette..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/john-green-12_time_the-stewardess-was-flummoxed-for-only-a_1179484.jpg" --- # The stewardess was flummoxed for only a moment. “Well… ![“The stewardess was flummoxed for only a moment. “Well, that metaphor is prohibited on today’s flight,” she said. Gus nodded and rejoined the cigarette to its pack.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/john-green-12_time_the-stewardess-was-flummoxed-for-only-a_1179484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/john-green-12_time_the-stewardess-was-flummoxed-for-only-a_1179484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/john-green-12_time_the-stewardess-was-flummoxed-for-only-a_1179484.jpg) > ““The stewardess was flummoxed for only a moment. “Well, that metaphor is prohibited on today’s flight,” she said. Gus nodded and rejoined the cigarette to its pack.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A brief, humorous exchange shows how language can be censored in unexpected ways. **In simple terms:** Words can be restricted even in casual conversation. Key Takeaway Be mindful of context when using metaphors. Themes communication humor censorship Mood playful lighthearted Type humor social commentary When to use this quote - air travel - customer service - creative writing - media commentary Key Concepts language constraints social interaction Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become a barrier? - How do you adapt language for diverse audiences? A Different Perspective The joke may not translate across cultures, limiting its impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Stewardess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stewardess/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s a metaphor,” I explained. “He puts the killing thing in his mouth but doesn’t give it the power to kill him.” The stewardess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-s-a-metaphor-i-explained-he-puts-the-killing-thing-in-his-mouth/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“About nine seconds later, a blond stewardess rushed over to our row and said, “Sir, you can’t smoke on this plane. Or any plane.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/about-nine-seconds-later-a-blond-stewardess-rushed-over-to-our-row/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [You’re joining us for dinner, I hope?” asked his mom. She was small and brunette and vaguely mousy. “I guess?” I said. “I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-re-joining-us-for-dinner-i-hope-asked-his-mom-she-was-small-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Is he drunk?' the attendant asked as they boarded the early morning flight. 'Not yet,' said Grey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wunder/is-he-drunk-the-attendant-asked-as-they-boarded-the-early-morning/) [Wendy Wunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wunder/) > [Stewardesses are still paid so little that in many cases, new hires qualify for food stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-ireland/stewardesses-are-still-paid-so-little-that-in-many-cases-new-hires/) [Patricia Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-ireland/) > [Sure, I like my short hair. It also quadrupled my rate. I did get sick of seeing it on everybody, though - every stewardess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/sure-i-like-my-short-hair-it-also-quadrupled-my-rate-i-did-get-sick/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [When people asked me what I did for a living, I told them I make pilots. They thought I was a stewardess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/when-people-asked-me-what-i-did-for-a-living-i-told-them-i-make/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [“Mrs E. Kapelsen of Boston, Massachusetts was an elderly lady, indeed, she felt her life was nearly at an end. She had seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/mrs-e-kapelsen-of-boston-massachusetts-was-an-elderly-lady-indeed-she/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The former stewardess glared at her ex-pilot husband as if he had been speaking, and thinking, in the absence of sufficient oxygen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-former-stewardess-glared-at-her-ex-pilot-husband-as-if-he-had/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Librarian like Stewardess, Certified Public Accountant, Used Car Salesman is one of those occupations that people assume attract a certain deformed personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mccracken/librarian-like-stewardess-certified-public-accountant-used-car/) [Elizabeth McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mccracken/) > [I can't stop watching 'Pan Am.' When I was growing up, my father worked as an engineer in Turkey, and we always flew Pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-king/i-can-t-stop-watching-pan-am-when-i-was-growing-up-my-father-worked/) [Gayle King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-king/) > [I'll tell you what's fun - finding the right stewardess and turning her upside down in the back of a plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-fun-finding-the-right-stewardess-and-turning-her/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Pack the one bag. Unpack it, pack it, unpack it, pack it: passeport, ticket, book, taxi, airport, check-in, beer, announcement, stairs, airplane, fasten seat-belt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/pack-the-one-bag-unpack-it-pack-it-unpack-it-pack-it-passeport-ticket/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [I loved the idea of doing something that has this misconception about what stewardesses were. And, I also love the idea that these girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-loved-the-idea-of-doing-something-that-has-this-misconception-about/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [“He sat desiring the girl - a speed-hardened straw-colored junkie stewardess, a spoiled Augustana Lutheran, compounded of airport Muzak and beauty parlor school. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/he-sat-desiring-the-girl-a-speed-hardened-straw-colored-junkie/) [Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Stewardess quotes > [I can't stop watching 'Pan Am.' When I was growing up, my father worked as an engineer in Turkey, and we always flew Pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-king/i-can-t-stop-watching-pan-am-when-i-was-growing-up-my-father-worked/) [Gayle King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-king/) > [Stewardesses are still paid so little that in many cases, new hires qualify for food stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-ireland/stewardesses-are-still-paid-so-little-that-in-many-cases-new-hires/) [Patricia Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-ireland/) > [I loved the idea of doing something that has this misconception about what stewardesses were. And, I also love the idea that these girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-loved-the-idea-of-doing-something-that-has-this-misconception-about/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Pack the one bag. Unpack it, pack it, unpack it, pack it: passeport, ticket, book, taxi, airport, check-in, beer, announcement, stairs, airplane, fasten seat-belt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/pack-the-one-bag-unpack-it-pack-it-unpack-it-pack-it-passeport-ticket/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [I'll tell you what's fun - finding the right stewardess and turning her upside down in the back of a plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-fun-finding-the-right-stewardess-and-turning-her/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [“He sat desiring the girl - a speed-hardened straw-colored junkie stewardess, a spoiled Augustana Lutheran, compounded of airport Muzak and beauty parlor school. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/he-sat-desiring-the-girl-a-speed-hardened-straw-colored-junkie/) [Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/) > [Librarian like Stewardess, Certified Public Accountant, Used Car Salesman is one of those occupations that people assume attract a certain deformed personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mccracken/librarian-like-stewardess-certified-public-accountant-used-car/) [Elizabeth McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mccracken/) > [The former stewardess glared at her ex-pilot husband as if he had been speaking, and thinking, in the absence of sufficient oxygen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-former-stewardess-glared-at-her-ex-pilot-husband-as-if-he-had/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Mrs E. Kapelsen of Boston, Massachusetts was an elderly lady, indeed, she felt her life was nearly at an end. She had seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/mrs-e-kapelsen-of-boston-massachusetts-was-an-elderly-lady-indeed-she/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [When people asked me what I did for a living, I told them I make pilots. They thought I was a stewardess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/when-people-asked-me-what-i-did-for-a-living-i-told-them-i-make/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Sure, I like my short hair. It also quadrupled my rate. I did get sick of seeing it on everybody, though - every stewardess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/sure-i-like-my-short-hair-it-also-quadrupled-my-rate-i-did-get-sick/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [ I saw how the Government was run there \[in Africa\] and I saw where black people were running the banks. I saw, for the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/i-saw-how-the-government-was-run-there-in-africa-and-i-saw-where/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [You don't have to be kind. You have to be calm. Once you start showing that people can affect your emotions, then you obviously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-kartheiser/you-don-t-have-to-be-kind-you-have-to-be-calm-once-you-start-showing/) [Vincent Kartheiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-kartheiser/) > [My Norwegian wife Aase was a Pan Am stewardess back in the Seventies when we met. She was very attractive, and we became good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/my-norwegian-wife-aase-was-a-pan-am-stewardess-back-in-the-seventies/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [I mean, the idea that it might help somebody out or help somebody make the decision to become a stewardess or otherwise... No, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/i-mean-the-idea-that-it-might-help-somebody-out-or-help-somebody-make/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) [Browse all 30 Stewardess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stewardess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The stewardess was flummoxed for only a moment. “Well, that metaphor is prohibited on today’s flight,” she said. 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